Page 57 of Liberating Bells
My feet take a second before they decide to work again, but then I move fluidly towards my car and open the trunk to toss my bag in, then I hold out my hand for Izabel’s. I could argue with her. I could tell her that I don’t want her to come with me, that I don’t want to be anywhere near her. But I don’t. “What does your fiancé think about this?”
Izabel looks away from my inquisitive stare and frowns. “I don’t really care what he thinks about this. We’re not talking right now.”
I raise my eyebrows, a little taken back.Okay, then.
I can’t lie and say it isn’t a little satisfying hearing her get all fiery and snarky in regard to him. A thread of curiosity unspools, and I wonder why they’re not talking right now. Did something happen between them? I wouldn’t mind one bit if she finally decided to kick him to the curb. In fact, I think I’d be right behind her, applauding her the whole way.
With that thought, I consider that maybe she has. Maybe she’s finally had the earth-shattering epiphany that he’s an absolute piece of shit and she deserves better.
I take in the way her lips pull off into a stubborn pout and my intrigue gets the best of me.
“Fine. Then get in.”
I crouch down to get into my car, turning the key in the ignition and getting the AC blowing. Izabel follows suit only a moment later, settling into the passenger seat. She’s wearing a pair of jean shorts and a loose-fitting tank top. I close my eyes for a second and inhale deeply.
Lord, help me.
What in the hell do I think I’m doing? Everything cell in my body is screaming that I’m making a mistake, and I shouldn’t have given in so easily, and yet here I go, shifting the car in drive and pulling out of my parking lot.
When we hit the freeway, Izabel turns to look at me. “So, what’s your meeting about?”
“I’m pitching a design idea for their new headquarters building. Teddy’s all on board with me designing it, but the board of directors isn’t so sure since I’m only a startup.”
Izabel frowns. “But you worked for them for years.”
I shrug and keep my eyes on the road. “That’s business, I guess. But anyway, I have the whole thing drawn up and priced out. I just have to convince them to hire me.”
“I’m sure it will be a walk in the park. You’re good at what you do.”
I glance over at her, but she’s looking out the window now. I can see a slight blush playing on her cheeks at the compliment she just gave me. The corners of my lips turn up slightly, and then my attention is back on the road.
“Are you excited for school to start back up?” I ask her.
She grins and nods. “Oh, yes, I love teaching. It’s one of my favorite things.”
“Do you want to keep teaching high school forever?”
Izabel thinks about my question for a second before answering. “I don’t know. I love the boys at Bennett.” She gives me a side glance, as if measuring me for the implication in her words. “But I think being a college professor would be really fun as well. High schoolers don’t have much stake in history. But at the college level, aside from the core curriculum, you get students who actually want to hear what I’m teaching and explaining to them. I think that would be very stimulating.”
“You’re such a nerd,” I tease her, shooting her a fond smirk. For a moment, my brain tricks me into believing that this is ourlife. That nothing ever changed between us, and we get to go through each day, playfully taking shots at each other and going on impromptu adventures.
What a life that would be.
She smiles again, her teeth shiny white. “I know. I just can’t help it! Hey, speaking of. How long are we staying? Do you think we could go see the Parthenon?”
“I think that could be arranged. I have the hotel check-out set for Sunday. So we could find some fireworks Saturday night, too, if you want.”
Izabel nods her head vigorously. “Yes! That sounds perfect! Thanks for letting me tag along. You’re my favorite!”
I laugh under my breath as I glance at her again. Who is this woman and what has she done with the Izabel I’ve gotten to know recently? This version of her is so like the old Izabel that it’s completely taken me off guard. Don’t get me wrong, it’s refreshing, seeing that the version of her I love so much is still inside of her somewhere. But at the same time, something about how quickly she’s made the change has me watching her cautiously, as if I’m afraid she’ll detonate right in front of me.
We fall into a comfortable silence as Izabel fiddles around with her phone. I keep my eye on her as I’m driving. We’ve always been good at being just Ryan and Izabel, but something still feels off. Like we’re going through the motions, but not fully on the same page.
She takes in a deep breath and adjusts in her seat. Kicking off her flip-flops, she perches her feet up on the dashboard, still typing away at the device in her hands. I notice purple nail polish is painted on her dainty toenails.
“That’s really unsafe,” I mutter at her position. “You could break both your legs.”
Izabel turns to me and sticks out her tongue. “Well, then good thing I trust your driving.”
